Hitchhiking is Allowed

“Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.”  – Psalm 84:5

It’s unbelievable the amount of information that is available to each of us through the internet and media today.  The problem is that when we are gathering information we aren’t always sure where it will lead us.  The web is a wonderful tool for doing research and gathering data to improve one’s knowledge on a subject or to hear/interpret others opinions on a given matter.  It’s important though to realize that not everything you read or hear is true, nor does it all have your best intentions in mind when the data is posted.

Many of us today have a GPS in our cars, or in some cases built right into the smart phones that we carry.  Certainly, there is the opportunity to print maps from the internet before you leave on a journey to somewhere unfamiliar.  We can look on any one of the wonderful “maps” web-sites and within minutes have directions to our destination including fastest route, least busy route and the route with the most hotels along the way.  Regardless of the choice we make, the destination is known before we ever get behind the wheel of the vehicle.

So it is with your life.  There is a destination, as sad as it is to consider, we will all draw our last breath one day.  That is the destination for the life you are living regardless if you have an eternal plan or not, whether you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior or not.  We are each going to reach the end of life on this planet, and between the point you are today and that ending state you have to fill in the map and the highways/byways of your journey to get there.

God has a plan and purpose for your life.  You have to chose to listen and follow.  Don’t buy into the fact that you are too old or beyond your ability to serve Him.  Abraham was 99 years old when God revealed His covenant and purpose for him.  David was but a boy, a mere teen aged shepherd when Samuel came and ordained him as the future King of Israel.  Moses lived in wealth and prosperity before his actions pushed him into a life as a herder in the mountains where God spoke His purpose to Moses.  John, the disciple of Jesus Christ, was 98 years old and living on an island of prisoners when he wrote the book of Revelations (at the inspiration of Christ Himself).  Paul was well into his middle age when he met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.  A small boy brought forth two fish and 5 loaves for the Messiah to perform a miracle and feed thousands.  What makes you so special that God no longer has use for you?  You see, it is not whether God wants to use you, in that you can be sure.  The real question is do you want to serve?  Are you finally at the point in your life when enough is enough and you are ready to walk God’s highway to Zion.  He has placed His Holy Spirit within you, waiting on your decision.  He’s already made up His mind.  Succumb to His request and allow His plan to be revealed to you.  He will be your strength and courage at each and every step along the way.

Prayer:,
God Almighty,
You have given us but one life to live in Your name.  One beginning and one end.  Help us to lay out that map in between to serve You completely.  Help us to see Your plan for our life, so that we might walk along the road with You rather than against You.  We live to serve You and humble ourselves in unworthiness to be chosen by You.  In Your name we pray – Amen


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©Sondove Enterprises, 2011

More than a Stone

“And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.”  – Romans 8:27

photo from R. Weller/Cochise College

We are going through Spring cleaning and it’s amazing how many things seem to accumulate over a year.  As I was beginning to move the boxes, I came across one that was particularly heavy.  I opened it to discover it was filled with books.  I noticed there are so many books that I had never even opened, yet they were in a box labeled “DONATE”.  For one reason or another, the books had been purchased for educational or entertainment purposes, yet never opened.  So without a knowledge of what the book was about, or the quality of the writing, or whether there was valuable information inside, we were making the decision to eliminate the book from our bookshelf.  The decisions had been made strictly based on the outside – Title, summary, cover photo or author.

Take another example.  When you walk along a mountain range in Mexico, your feet are landing upon stones, gravel and rock.  Some of the rocks are jagged, some smooth and some seem almost polished.  Most are grey, black or brown in color and look monotonously similar to one another.  Yet, a gemologist walking along that same mountain range might bend over a time or two along the way and pick up a stone and drop it into his shoulder bag.  You might look at him as one looks at a child on a beach gathering sea shells for a collection at home, wondering why he is taking so many rocks home as souvenirs, their just rocks.  When the gemologist gets home, he will take these rocks and carefully observe them for natural breakpoints and then proceed to use a high speed saw to cut along those lines.  What is often times revealed is a marvelous mineral or quartz, nestled and growing inside of the hard grey or black rock.


I’m so glad God looks inside of us to know the real person.  He looks past our sinful nature, our abrasive exterior and sees the person He created.  David tells us in Psalm 139, “You have searched me and You know me.”  God created you to be someone amazing for His Kingdom.  You have lived your life, made choices and built up a personality around the inner being God created.  You are littered with bad habits and wrong decisions, but God is capable of seeing right past all of that and looking into your heart to see the real you.  Imagine a moment in your life when you were completely at peace; no stress, no worries, happy and filled with love.  Snap a mental picture of that time.  This is the picture God has of you.  When you look in the mirror and see the mistakes, the struggles and the disappointments; God looks at the picture He holds in His hand and says, “Yes, you have sinned and struggled, but this is who I made you to be.”  You are a precious commodity to God the Father, don’t ever let anyone take that from you.  Be blessed today.

Prayer:
God Almighty,
You have created me in Your image – strong, confident, loving and peaceful.  I am unique and special with a purpose placed inside of my heart by Your hand.  Help me Lord, to discover what it is that You will have me do with the one and only life You have given me.  How might I share Your beauty and love with others, such that they might be blessed through me.  In Your name we pray – Amen


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©Sondove Enterprises, 2011

Not an Illusion

“So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”  But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”  – John 20:25

I have always found optical illusions interesting.  The fact that what we know to be true is challenged by what we see with our eyes.  This causes a conflict in the brain to try to comprehend what is beyond logic and knowledge.  You have seen the optical illusions displayed in art galleries or shopping malls, which depict an impossible geometric image.  For example, the Penrose Triangle, which appears at first glance to be a normal 3D triangle, yet when you look more carefully 2 of the 3 legs of the triangle do not actually intersect based on our knowledge of how they should intersect.  Perhaps you seen artwork where steps appear to lead upward, yet when you follow them to the top, the surface is actually the same planer surface as the bottom of the staircase.  Our knowledge, logic and understanding of this world is in a 3 dimensional perspective.  There is height, width and depth to everything we look at.  Our eyes and brain are able take in the images we view and rationalize them into something we are familiar with. 

So it was with Thomas.  He knew that Jesus had died on that cross.  He knew that he had been buried and the tomb covered with a stone.  Everything he knew about life, death and resurrection up to that point was based on human thinking and comprehension.  He was limited by what he knew, and when the disciples explained to Thomas that they had seen the risen Savior, he could not transition to a comprehension of what that meant based on his experiences up to that point in his life.  I propose that Thomas did not suffer from a lack of faith.  Even though Thomas (Didymus) had traveled and associated with Jesus for quite some time, he had not fully comprehended the deity of who Jesus Christ was.  He had a hard time getting beyond the logical knowledge of Jesus the man to see Jesus as God.  In Matthew 26:61, Jesus tells the Pharisees and teachers that he will rebuild this temple in 3 days.  In John 14:1-6, Jesus tells the disciples that He will go to the Father and prepare a place for them and then return to take them with Him, and he tells Thomas specifically in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Thomas had a hard time comprehending the completeness of what Jesus was telling them though.

We do the same thing today.  We limit our acceptance of what God can do based on our understanding from a human perspective.  We see a problem and look at it from a human perspective with limitations and restrictions.  When we take a Godly perspective on a situation and accept that God is truly omnipotent and sovereign, we immediately realize that absolutely nothing is beyond His capability, if it is within His will.  Just because we want something to come to fruition doesn’t mean that God the Father wants the same thing.  It may seem completely logical and normal within our thinking, but from His vision of the full cycle of life He has a better perspective.

Like Thomas, we must accept that God can do whatever He wants to do.  We must be able to accept things in life without fully comprehending them.  Most of all, we must learn to trust that God’s plan is best for us, and the sooner we decide to align to His plan the more fulfilling our life will become.

Prayer:Heavenly Father,
Forgive us for our lack of faith, trust and acceptance of Your plan in our life.  We long to trust in Your love and wisdom to accept those things we don’t understand on faith, rather than on knowledge.  You have given us Your word to guide our footsteps and lay out the plans for our life.  Help us to internalize it, understand it and put it into practice that we might serve You better.  In Your name we pray – Amen

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©Sondove Enterprises, 2011

Spring is in the Air

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." - Hebrews 11:3

The rains fall fresh upon the grass, that is slowly breaking through the soil (in my neighbor's yard at least). Birds are happily chirping in the morning dawn as I walk out to my car and there seems to be a little extra kick in the kids steps as they skip their way to school. I can't help but wonder in awe at the regenerative beauty of the Lord's fingers.

As we observe the freshness and newness of nature, I find myself pondering the creation of it all. On day one God began creating what you and I enjoy today. I have a 100 foot Oak tree in my back yard that every year shed it's leaves, and every Spring it's full of leaves once again. Certainly there are scientific definitions of photosynthesis that explains how this happens, but at the core of this legendary tree who created the cell of the wood fiber? Who designed the process for that wood fiber to pass water and nutrients from the ground all the way to the budding tips of each branch?

You cannot look at the beauty of the flowers, grass, trees and fields without pausing for just a moment at the miraculous creation of the entire world. Take a walk today or this weekend, and open up your eyes to the wonders of God's creation. Restore your faith through the beauty you see before you and ponder for yourself the magnificencse of everything He has given you to enjoy. If you can see the Lord in these things, than trust that you also are His creation and are just as beautiful and amazing. Let the freshness of Spring renew your spirit and your faith in His promises and love.

Prayer:

Loving Father,

The world is a beautiful garden filled with Your amazing creation. We are blessed by those things around us each and every day and we lift up our praises and thanksgiving for Your loving presence. Help us to understand Your love for us is beyond comprehension, and every fiber muscle, bone and cell of our bodies were created by Your hand. We are Your masterpiece and are perfectly made. In Your name we pray. Amen


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©Sondove Enterprises, 2011

He's Got Your Back

"for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." - 1 John 5:4

How big are your dreams? Remember when you were 18 or 20 and had such amazing dreams for your life? Then came a time when you were willing to give up on those dreams, because something or someone got in your way. We are easily dissuaded from pursuing that which in our hearts we knew would fulfill everything we could become in this world.

The Israelites, under Saul, had dreams of ruling the world with God's hand until the Philistines sent Goliath to the battlefield. Saul's army quickly become mentally and emotionally defeated by the fear of facing this giant. We all know the story of the young shepherd boy David and his response to Goliath. But carefully observe why he had persevered against this giant. It was not through his intellect, his strength or his military experience, but rather because he knew that the battle was God's and not his.

David entered into the fight defending God, not defending Saul and the Israelites. In 1 Samuel 17:26 David asks, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" and again in 17:37, "The Lord who delivered me ... will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Finally at the battle itself David challenges Goliath directly, "...I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel...."

David was just a boy, who knew where his faith and his power came from. He had no fear for the situation at hand because of his faith in the all powerful God. Through his consistent faith he comes away from the battle as an over-comer and victorious. Are you walking into today’s battles alone or with the strength and courage of the Almighty God on your side.  The same God that stood with David that day stands with you every day of your life as well, He hasn't changed.

Prayer:Almighty Father,
You are our strength and our courage in times of trouble.  You give us peace in all circumstances as we focus our efforts on You and Your will.  No enemy can stand before Your mighty power and we have been given all authority to call upon that power.  Today, we ask that You reign down upon us Your love, compassion and strength to take on the challenges and battles that we will face.  In Your name we pray – Amen
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©Sondove Enterprises, 2011

What Say You?

“Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me.”  – John 10:25

It all comes down to faith and belief in the truthfulness of the word of God.  You have heard the Verizon commercials, “Can you hear me now?  Good.”  The word of God, namely the Bible, was written to speak to you.  The question is, can you hear it?

Jesus Christ walked the earth as God in flesh.  He proclaimed throughout His ministry that He was of God, the Messiah, the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd and so on.  His works were of the Father, and the miracles He performed were of the Father.  It’s captured in Matthew 11:5, he healed the blind, healed people and even raised them from the dead.  These are not things of demon’s or evil, for as Jesus tells us Himself in Matthew 12:26; Satan cannot cast out Satan.

The same ridiculous arguments exist still today as people challenge the authenticity of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  Many will acknowledge His existence, but claim that He was a prophet.  Some will say He was surely a righteous man and demonstrated the love of God, but he was not God incarnate.  Other’s claim him to be just a man who led a cult of followers down a path of misbelieve that has warped the mind’s of millions for centuries.

What do you believe?  Why?

You must make a choice.  Yes, plain and simple – YOU have to choose what you believe and why.  Is Jesus Christ the Son of God?  He claimed it to be so.  For those of you who like multiple choice questions, the answers are A) He was the telling the truth and by example of His works demonstrated His authority and power from God; or B) he was a good person, perhaps a prophet or an imposter trying to convince the world at that time to follow his teachings for his own personal gain which resulted in his brutal crucifixion; or C) he never existed and the entire New Testament of God’s Holy Scriptures is an amalgamation of lies and deceit that have been handed down over thousands of years as the truth.  

Which is it?  This question isn’t difficult and the choices are no more complicated than I’ve described.  There is no other alternative answers or D) none of the above.  It’s A, B or C and your choice is eternally recorded.  If you believe that B is the correct answer, then you must believe that the Messiah has not come yet, and that Jesus was a liar and his life was a complete contradiction.  He clearly stated multiple times in different ways that He was from God and “the Son of God”.  If you believe he existed, yet don’t believe this statement to be true, than he must have been a liar.  Therefore he must have been evil, unrighteous and filled with sin, just like every other man ever born.  Yet, the entire record of his life demonstrates otherwise, his actions which were righteous, miraculous and pointed people to God not to himself.

If you believe C is the right answer, then you must believe that all of the first century writings and manuscripts detailing his existence have been fabricated to continue the lie.  You must believe that the detailed records from the 1^st century were also falsified when they account for the killing of Christians and followers of “The Way”.  At some point, people would have realized that dying for a lie was ludicrous and it would have faded away, not gotten stronger. 

Billions upon billions of people over time have held strong to the belief that Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be.  They have chosen A because they have faith that God’s Word is true in it’s entirety.  This then points to the return of Jesus Christ as recorded in Revelations and throughout the New Testament.  If Genesis through Jude are considered factual than we must accept that Revelations must also be factual.  Therefore, we must realize there will be a judgment of all mankind and there is an eternity spent in heaven or hell. 

If we believe in Him as the Messiah, the Son of God, we must agree that He was sinless, perfect and incapable of deceit or unrighteousness.  Therefore, when He claims that He is the only way to heaven, we must believe it to be truth and live our lives as such.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
You have given us Your Word as the single version of the truth.  In it we find Your love, grace and mercy demonstrated through Your Son – Jesus Christ.  We acknowledge that He is who He says He is and that His instructions are truthful indeed.  Thank you for sharing Your Son with us that we might find salvation and redemption through His sacrifice and the shedding of His blood.  We long to be in Your presence, help us to live within Your will until that time is upon us.  In Your name we pray – Amen


http://www.10minutereader.com

©Sondove Enterprises, 2011

In God We Trust

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”  – Proverbs 3:5-7

What does trust mean to you?  Do you trust that the company you work for will  be in business tomorrow, or that the school you go to will still have classes in the morning?  Why?  Where does your expectation come from that allow you to trust in the things of this world with such assuredness?

Obviously, it is simple to trust in something tangible that you can feel, smell, hear, touch or taste than it is to trust in the unseen.  If you went to the office tomorrow and you were told that cut backs were needed and you would be let go, what would happen to your trust in the company?  Suddenly the comfort of your financial stability and security has been put at risk.  Trust is built over time and through personal experiences.  When we make ourselves vulnerable to rely on another or on a given situation and trust that our knowledge is sufficient we leave ourselves open to disappointment and rejection.

I recall a story of a science experiment which demonstrates the inability to trust our own understanding.  There was a student who decided to demonstrate the Law of the Pendulum.  He first tied a child’s top to a string and attached the end of the string to a black board.  He lifted it to one side, marked the height on the board and released the top.  It swung along an arc and then returned to a height short of the original mark.  He marked this spot and watched as it continually went back and forth, falling shorter each time, until eventually it came to rest at the center point of equilibrium.   This accurately demonstrated to the class the Law of the Pendulum.  Then the student asked the professor to stand near the front of the room.  Hanging from the ceiling was a heavy gauge string with a sizeable weight at the end.  He lifted the weight to a point just below the professor’s chin.  Looking at the professor he asked, “Do you believe in the Law of the Pendulum as demonstrated.”  The professor replied with a hesitant, “Yes, I do.”  With that the student let go of the weight.  It dropped along the arc to the other side of the room and began on it’s return.  The professor jumped back before the weight made it back to his side of the room.  Despite his knowledge and understanding of the Law of the Pendulum, he could not rely on that knowledge to overcome his fears of the risk as it approached.

So many times we fall back on the fears of our own knowledge and understanding rather than trusting in the Lord to provide for our needs.  When life takes a turn for the worst, the best thing to do is to turn your view to the Lord and discover what He has planned for you.  You see, just because disappointment happens in life doesn’t mean that God isn’t actively working in ways beyond your vision.  The real question is, are you able to trust Him when things in your life seem to be falling apart.  Take into consideration that some of the greatest opportunities to serve the Lord might just require you to go through some changes.  This requires a strong faith and belief that God will provide.  Trust in the Lord is the only sure thing.  He does not turn away from those who seek Him and will carry you through your trials.   

Prayer:Almighty God,
You have promised to carry us when we are hurting and to be our strength in times of trouble.  You continually provide for our needs when the world fails and our understanding creates fear and worry.  We trust in You to guide us in Your path of righteousness and within Your plan for our life.  Help us to remain strong and confident in Your control.  In Your name we pray – Amen

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©Sondove Enterprises, 2011